Resort opening snow-tubing park

Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg will open its new snow-tubing park on Saturday, but the resort doesn’t quite have enough snow yet for skiing or snowboarding.

The new Prospector Adventure Zone offers two two-hour tubing sessions, the first at noon and the second at 2 p.m. Cost is $17 for adults and $15 for youths, seniors and college students. An additional two-hour session costs $9 and $7, respectively. The price includes the gondola ride, tube rental and two-hour session.

“What’s great about snow tubing is that everybody is an expert because everybody can do it,” said Jeff Colburn, general manager, in a news release.

Tubing is a new trend within the ski industry, offering an option for family members who don’t ski or snowboard. Schweitzer Mountain opened a tubing park last year, complete with a conveyor lift that returns riders and their tubes to the top of the hill.

Silver Mountain also has a conveyor lift that returns riders to the top. The new “Sun Kid” conveyor lift is similar to the moving walkways at airports, the news release said.

– Alison Boggs

Kootenai County

Man suspected of child sexual abuse

A child pornography investigation led to the arrest Thursday of a 46-year-old Twin Lakes, Idaho, man on sex abuse charges.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department began investigating Edmund D. Bergeman after a relative went to his home last weekend to pick up her preteen daughter and discovered the girl dressed in a “provocative costume.” Another preteen girl at Bergeman’s home was nude, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Bergeman was arrested earlier this week on a warrant for a traffic offense, the Sheriff’s Department said. Deputies noticed several computer disks as well as computer and camera equipment in his car. He posted bond on the traffic offense and was released from jail, while detectives continued their investigation.

Search warrants were obtained to examine the disks, and investigators said they found thousands of pictures depicting child pornography. Bergeman, an electronics technician, was arrested around 3 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Department, where he had agreed to talk with investigators, sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger said.

His first appearance in court is set for 2 p.m. today in Kootenai County. He is charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor.

The Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with information on Bergeman to call (208) 446-1300.

– Taryn Brodwater